He strips the towel from his waist and throws it in my direction. It lands on the floor at my feet. I suck in a deep breath when I take in the sight of his muscular body.
“You did that on purpose, didn’t you?”
He smirks at me. “Night, Kat.”
“Night,” I mutter, too focused on his toned ass as he walks away from me.
That fucker did that just to remind me of what I am missing. No matter what I have to do, we will be together again. Dean will see the person he loves. He needs time. We both do.
Chapter 22
Seven months after the NHL Draft
Dean
On my birthday, Kat moved into my luxury apartment that overlooks the Camden Waterfront. The transition was not easy for either of us. Even after two months of living together, our relationship is still so strained that we move past each other like strangers in the subway. But we try to make it work for our son. Every time I get angry with Kat, I pull the sonogram from my wallet and remind myself that Noah is my focus.
“Will you at least look at me when I talk to you?” Kat says from behind me.
I turn around to face her, my eyes landing on her stomach. Her belly is hard to miss now that she’s so close to having Noah. She only has a few more days until the doctor induces her.
“Dean, c’mon.” Kat steps forward and grabs my wrists with her hands. “Can we please go back to the way things were between us?”
“We’re friends. Isn’t that what you wanted?”
“By now, I thought we would be more. I love you, Dean.”
“I love you, too, Kitten.”
“I mean I’m in love with you. I want to be with you again.”
I shake my hands from hers and hop up onto the kitchen counter. “I need time. I told you that already. We can’t repair the damage overnight.”
“You’ve had months.” She moves between my legs and her stomach brushes against my thighs. “Is that not enough to see that I’m still the same person you fell in love with?”
I stroke her jaw with my thumb, and she leans her face into my hand. “You are the mother of my child, Kitten. No one can take that away from you. But if you want more from me, I need time.”
She lets out the puff of air that she was holding. “Maybe I should move back to Chicago after Noah is born.”
I drop my hand from her face, my teeth clenched in anger. “Don’t even think about it. You two are staying here with me. If you want to go back home for the summer, then I will come with you. Until then, we are living in this apartment as a family.”
“I never thought you could be so cold,” she spits back.
“And I never thought you would lie to me. Consider us even.”
“I hate you,” she yells, smacking me on the arm. “You’re such an asshole anymore.”
I grab her hand before she can smack me again and hold her in place. “As much as you want to hate me, I know you love me. It’s your hormones talking.”
She shakes her head, frowning. “No, I can’t do this with you anymore. I thought I was moving here to give our son a better life. What kind of life will he have if all his parents do is fight? All this negativity is bad for Noah.”
“Look, Kitten, I’m sorry. I am trying to do right by you and Noah. I want this to work for us.”
“Then, why won’t you touch me?”
“I’m touching you right now.”
“You know what I mean. Sex, Dean, I want to have sex with you. I’m so fucking horny, and you keep walking around the apartment naked all the time.”